Toy



H'.. COLE ETAI.v

TOY'

- Filed Jan. 22, 1945 ..m .mflurnn n NN yl? f n Y Y z-- w 5x1- w Patente-cl Aug. 26, 1947 TOY Harold E. Cole, Hugh O. McAlinden, and Richard B. Banks, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application January 22, 1945, Serial No. 573,847

1 Claim. 1

The invention relates to improvements in toys as described in the present specification and shown in the accompanying drawings that form a part of the same.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a simple, interesting and instructive toy embodying the characteristics of aeronautics and gunnery, to provide means whereby a toy aeroplane can be launched with the speed and precision essential to accurate and prolonged flight of the plane, and generally to provide a durable, interesting and inexpensive toy.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction, arrangements` and combinations of parts described in the present specification and more particularly pointed out in the novelty following.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of our improved toy showing a toy aeroplane in position in the launching device. I

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the launching device, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the expeller.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the device shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view through the launching device, taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional View, on a reduced scale, of a modiiication of the invention.

Figure 7 is a central vertical sectional view through the expeller.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a to-y aeroplane which may be constructed of wood, cardboard or other suitable material, and which is" provided with a main wing I, stabilizer 2 and n 2a.

The body of the plane I is provided on its under side in the centre of gravity of the plane, with a downwardly extending lug 3 which is adapted to extend into the path of the expeller (which latter is described in detail hereinafter) whereby the plane can be catapulted into space. The lug 3 is preferably inclined rearwardly for the reasons which will be obvious as the description of the device proceeds.

B is the launching device which comprises a barrel having a bottom wall 5 and parallel side walls 6 and 1, and at its one end has a handle 8 extending outwardly therefrom and by means claim for tion 9 fitting the rear end of the barrel and secured thereto. The bottom wall of the' barrel is provided with a narrow slot Ill positioned in the transverse centre of said wall and extending rearwardly from a point near the discharge end of the barrel to a point near the rear end and at its rearmost end being enlarged, as at II, to permit of the passage of the head of the spring controlled expeller I2 by means of which the plane is expelled forcefully from the barrel in the manner to be described hereinafter.

IThe expeller I2 consists of a metal spool-like device having a narrow flat sided neck portion I3 adapted to slide within the slot I0, a head portion I4 adapted to be projected through the enlarged portion II of the slot ID for positioning within the barrel and slidable along the bottom 6 thereof, and a head I5 positioned exteriorly of the bottom of the barrel.

The heads I4 and I5 are provided on their rear sides with slots I6 and Il respectively for the reception of an endless elastic band I8 which is looped around the rear side of one of said heads and extends forwardly around the discharge end of the bottom of the barrel and is looped around the other of said heads, said elastic member in its doubled condition being relatively shorter than the barrel whereby in its relaxed condition the expeller will be positioned near the discharge end of the barrel and upon said expeller being drawn towards the rear end of the barrel the said elastic band will be stretched to provide the elasticity necessary to cause the said expeller to be forcefully projected towards the discharge end of the barrel. The head I4 is cut away to provide a vertical forwardly facing shoulder I9 adapted, when the body 0f the plane is placed in the barrel, to engage the rear side of the lug 3 carried by the plane and so in the forward progress of the expeller to cause the plane to be forcefully expelled from the barrel.

The head I5 is provided in its end with a recess 20 and is further provided with an inwardly inclined guide slot 2| communicating with the said recess 20 and leading rearwardly through the wall of the head.

A trigger 22 positioned in the curve of the handle 8 has a portion 23 extended into a suitable slot in the handle and pivoted therein, and said trigger carries an arm 24 positioned exteriorly of the barrel and extending forwardly and said arm has at its forward end a linger 25 pointing inwardly towards the bottom of the barrel, said tween a shoulder 27 formed in the enlarged por- Y tion 9 of the handle and a lug 28 on that portion of the trigger which is located within the handle provides a means for inuencing the forward end of the arm 2f! towards the bottom -of the barrel and thus serving to keep the nger25 in position in the recess 20 in the expeller until the trigger is operated to cause withdrawal of said fin'ger whereupon the elasticity of the extended member I8 causes same to rebound to its relaxed condition and forcibly -draw the fexpeller towards the Adischarge end 4of the barrel.

A cross `member 29 extending across the slot |70 at a point rearwardly of the finger 25 and secured to th'ebottom or sides of the bar-rel may be -employed to limit rearward movement of the expeller. i

301s a, U-shaped bracket .secured inthe llower face of the barrel `and extending outwardly around the arm 24, or the forward Aend vof the trigger, Yto hold the saidarm againstllateral movement.

In the use of this invention the :user .holds `the launching device in one hand by grasping the handle 8in such a way as permit of operation of the trigger, and with the other hand draws the expeller rearwardly until the Aspr-ing held :Finger 25 of the arm 24 enters the recess 20 in therhead l5 and prevents further rearward ymovement -of the expeller. This rearward movement ofthe expellerl causes the elastic member to be stretched, the rebounding energy being predetermined by the length of the band and the thick-ness of the rubber of which the band is made. After theexpeller has been locked by the finger 25 the plane is laid in the forward end of the barrel and is drawn backwardly until the lug v3 rests against the shoulder, or wall I9 of the head 14. The plane may then be forcibly expelled 'by simply operating the trigger to cause withdrawal lof the finger 25 from the recess 20, Yupon which 'the elasticity in the 'band i8 Asnaps the expeller forwardly and catapults the plane outwardly into space,

While .the rebounding force has been shown and described vhereinbefore as being supplied by San elastic Yband it is of course understood that other means, such asa spring, can be employed nplace thereof to operate the 'expellen As an illustration a modied form .of means for ward movement of the expeller,

operating the expeller is shown in Figure 6, in which the expeller is slidable on a rod 3|, supported at opposite ends of the barrel in spaced relation to the bottom of the barrel, and is adapted to be propelled forwardly by means of a helical spring 32 encircling that part of said rod rearwardly of the expeller, whereby on the` drawing back of the expeller into contact with the finger v-25 the .said spring is compressed and serves, on the release of the expeller through the operation .of the trigger, to propel the expeller forwardly and thus launch the plane.

While we have illustrated and described the present preferred forms of construction for car- Tying out our invention, these are capable of variation and modification Without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to. be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

What we claim is:

In a toy of the character described, the combination in a gun including a barrel open along its top-side Yand Ahaving a longitudinal slot in its bottom closed at the forward end of said barrel, of an expeller slidable in said slot in the bottom of said barrel and having a part located within said bar-rel and a part located below said barrel, that part of said expeller located vbelow said barrel having an opening in its lower end extending at right angles to the longitudinal axisof the barrel andan inclined guide slot leading from said opening through Ythe rear wall, a trigger having an upwardly turned finger spring-held towards said barrel adapted on the rearward movement of said expellerA to entel` said opening in the expeller `through said guide slot, and elastic means extending from 4the forward end of said barrel rearwardly above and below the bottom of said barrel and connected to the respective ends of the expeller and adapted to .be stretched on the ,rear- HAROLD E. COLE. HUGH O. MCALINDEN. RICHARD B. BANKS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the me of this patent;

UNITED 'STATES PATENTS 

